


Nothing Gold Can Stay

by Moriavis



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, F/M, Future Fic, Grief, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-18 22:25:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11884104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moriavis/pseuds/Moriavis
Summary: Lisa wanted to drown out the loneliness. Cisco just wanted her to be safe.





	Nothing Gold Can Stay

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to saekhwa for the beta!
> 
> This was written for the tumblr prompt: I think I’ve got fireflies where my caution should be. (Instead of slowing down, I just shine brighter.)

~*~

Lisa took her shot of whiskey from the bar and swallowed, her hair tossed back in a waterfall of curls, beautiful, performative, and empty. She winked at the bartender as she set the shot glass down and sashayed back into the crowd, dancing with the music before she hit the dance floor. The bass was so loud that it changed the rhythm of her heartbeat, and for a second, she felt like a different person. Maybe tonight it would actually last.

Star City was glitzy and glamorous. And the perfect place to vanish. Lisa danced, her smile inviting and her inhibitions relaxed enough for her to have fun after one or two drinks, although she never drank more. Lewis had shown her how unpleasant being drunk could be. 

When the song ended, she turned back toward the bar, her gaze landing on a familiar man talking to the bartender. She sauntered up, her smile growing warmer and more genuine with each step, and then she leaned against the bar, reaching up to twist a lock of Cisco's dark hair around her finger.

"Isn't Star out of your way?" Lisa asked, gratified by the way his eyes flicked up to her face without taking a detour.

"Lisa Snart," Cisco said, the way he always did — an admonition, a prayer. "What are you doing here?"

Lisa shrugged, a delicate, practiced movement, and batted her eyelashes. "Can't a girl have some fun?"

Cisco's eyes did wander, then, over her gold mini dress and shimmery gold shoes, and Lisa posed, letting him have that longer look. When he looked back up at her face, he was smiling too, as if he couldn't help himself. 

"I've missed you," he said, "but, uh, I'm actually here on Team Flash business."

"Ooh," Lisa said, tapping her fingers on the bar. "Sounds fun. Can I come?"

"I… don't think that's a good idea." Cisco hesitated, but Lisa curled her arm around his and playfully pulled him toward the door of the club.

"I promise I'll be good. I just need to get to my hotel to change, and you can tell me what's going on. Come on. Come on, Cisco. Live a little."

Cisco opened his mouth to protest, but instead he sighed and pulled out a pair of glasses, sliding them up his nose. "I want to say no, but if I leave, you'll just get into worse trouble. Okay. Hold on."

A portal opened up in front of Lisa, and she reared back, immediately despising that she was caught off guard. She straightened her shoulders, tossed her hair to regain that lost ground, and flashed a smile at Cisco before she walked straight into the portal.

It could have taken her any number of places, and if she'd been entirely sober, she would have taken a little more time to think about it before jumping in. Lenny always did say she didn't think far enough ahead. Jerk. He'd lost his higher ground when he died.

Her eyes were stinging as she stepped into a room — her hotel room, to be exact, and she spun around in a slow circle until she faced Cisco, forcing another flirtatious smile on her face. "When did _you_ get powers?"

"It's a long story." Cisco grimaced, expressive and honest, and Lisa laughed, extending a hand and prodding his shoulder.

"And what codename did you give yourself?"

Cisco puffed up with pride, even though his smile was bashful. "I'm Vibe out in the field."

Lisa snorted and spun around, clapping her hand over her mouth in attempt to hide her laughter.

"What's so funny?" Cisco sounded so offended that she gave up trying to hide it, tossing her head back and laughing full and long.

" _Vibe_ ," she finally managed to say. "Do you take batteries?"

Cisco sputtered, color darkening his cheeks. "What— That's not— I— I get the vibe of a place, you know?" He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. "You're just making fun of me now."

"You can't tell me you didn't think about it," Lisa teased. She turned toward her closet, kicking off her gold pumps and peeling out of her gold dress. "So tell me what's going on. Why is the Flash in Star City?" 

There was an awkward moment of silence, and Lisa looked over her shoulder to find Cisco looking at her ass. She cleared her throat, smiled when Cisco's guilty gaze jerked up to hers, and then winked.

Cisco cleared his throat and folded his arms over his chest, turning his back to her. Aww. That was no fun at all. 

"The Arrow is having a problem with the Triad. With the Flash's powers, we thought we'd be able to offer a hand."

"China White's back in town?" Lisa pulled a black t-shirt over her head and rummaged in a drawer for her favorite pair of black jeans. "She's dangerous, Cisco. In a way that a lot of people aren't."

"We figured that much out already," Cisco said as Lisa sat on the bed to fasten her boots. "She may have gotten the drop on us earlier."

"So what are we doing tonight?" She reached up for the small safe in the closet and dialed the combination, pulling out her gold gun and slipping on her holster.

"She's got some sort of big shipment coming in. A stolen artifact." Cisco smirked. "Not anything you'd know about, huh?"

"A girl doesn't kiss and tell." As her final preparation, Lisa turned Cisco around and headed toward the small table next to the door, grabbing her jacket and shrugging it on. "Okay, ready to go."

Cisco stared at her for a long minute, then averted his eyes and swallowed. "I don't actually think this is a good idea—"

"Please." She hadn't meant to let it slip, but between the little buzz of warmth left over from the alcohol and her surprise at seeing a friendly face, she felt strangely disarmed. Vulnerable. "I… can't be alone tonight."

Cisco nodded once and raise his hand to his ear. "Guys, I'm, uh, bringing a friend." He winced. "Lisa Snart?"

"Would it be better if I pointed my gun at you?" Lisa asked helpfully. "Or would that be unbelievable?"

Cisco shook his head and opened up another portal in response. Knowing that it was him actually making these portals was interesting all by itself, and she paid special attention to the craftsmanship of it, the metaphysical swirl, the distortion in the air. 

"You really are amazing."

Cisco tried to keep a straight face, but there was a hint of a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "You're not going to fool me with your flirting, Golden Glider. I'm onto you."

"You should let a girl keep her secrets." She slid her hands up his chest, leaning in. He smelled like leather and sweat, and heat coiled in her belly. "Maybe I'm not trying to fool you."

"You're always trying to fool me," he said, and she smiled wryly before she pulled away. "Sorry. I'm gonna have to fool you this time."

She didn't have time to ask what he meant before he took her by the shoulders and pushed her into the portal. She stumbled and caught herself against the wall, the portal vanishing behind her as she spun around, pulling the gold gun from its holster. A quick look right and left showed her that she was alone, in someone's apartment, and she holstered the gun before she walked from room to room, peeking behind every door. Cisco's apartment, then. 

There was a picture of him and his family on his dresser. A loteria board on the fridge.

The loneliness rang in her ears. She hated being alone.

There was a bottle of Riazul tequila in the fridge, and Lisa grabbed it. She walked slowly and sedately to the couch. Sat. Crossed her legs. She swigged directly from the bottle, enjoying the smear of her lipstick on the glass, and let it burn through her. Lenny had always preferred his alcohol straight, _with ice_ , because he was the most dramatic person she had ever known.

She took another swig.

She didn't cry.

Twenty minutes and a quarter of a bottle later, there was the sound of a key fumbling at the front door, and then Cisco peeked around it.

"I'm still here." 

Cisco jumped, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He raised his hands defensively and opened his mouth to speak, but Lisa beat him to it. 

"All my life"—She leaned forward to set the tequila on the coffee table—"I've wanted to be something special. Find my own place."

"I'm sorry," Cisco said, his brown eyes large and worried as he stepped forward, like she was a wild animal in need of soothing. He had no idea how right he was. "You were drunk. I couldn't let you go into a fight like that."

"You left me alone instead." She stood, wobbling a little on her feet. The room swam, but she was too pleasantly warm to care. She took a step and lurched, catching herself on the coffee table at the last minute. She was more drunk than she meant to be. That tequila had a kick. "Just like I asked you not to."

Cisco raised his hands as if he would catch her if she fell. "I was just trying to keep you safe."

"You know who tried to keep me safe?" Lisa leaned over and prodding Cisco in the shoulder. She missed the first time, weaved on her feet, and made contact the second. "Lenny. He always thought that he knew best for me, did his best to keep me protected. Keep me _safe_. But now he's dead and he doesn't get to tell me what to do anymore. _You_ don't get to tell me what to do."

"I— You're right. Will you sit down? I'll get you some water. An aspirin?"

"You know what I really want?" Lisa pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I want my motorcycle. And my _clothes_. Everything you left behind in Star when you _kidnapped_ me."

Cisco gaped, his face paling. "Oh my god, you're right. Why didn't I think of that? Hold on, I'll get your stuff. I _suck_." Cisco vanished through another portal, and Lisa frowned, weaving on her feet. She wasn't finished being angry with him.

She took the three unsteady steps back to the sofa and sat down. 

If Cisco thought he could wait her out until she'd cooled down, he had another thing coming.

~*~

Lisa slowly became aware of two things. One, she was horizontal. Two, her head was pounding. She forced her heavy eyes open and focused on a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin on the corner of the coffee table. There was a pillow beneath her head and a light blanket pulled up to her shoulders. She pushed it off and swung her legs off the couch as she worked her way up to sitting. She tossed back a pill and chased it with a swallow of water.

There was a clatter in the kitchen, and she looked over to see Cisco in a gray t-shirt and sweatpants in front of the stove. To her left, there was a duffle bag next to her boots. She didn't remember taking them off.

"Good morning," Cisco said cheerfully, although his something about the set of his eyes, the wrinkle of his forehead read as nervous when he looked at her. "I thought you could use some good hangover food. I make a killer huevos rancheros, and I was hoping you'd… stay for breakfast?"

Lisa smiled, close-mouthed, a little pained. "Mind if I use your bathroom?"

"Sure. Down the hall."

Lisa went to the bathroom and closed the door behind her before she set her hands on the counter and stared at herself in the mirror. Her mascara had smeared just a little and her lipstick had rubbed off, but she didn't look too bad. She dabbed beneath her eyes to wipe away the excess mascara and tousled her curls, so her hair didn't look so flat from where she'd slept on it.

She should go. Last night had been an embarrassment, and she wasn't entirely ready to let go of her hurt either. She took a deep breath and turned on the faucet, rinsing her mouth out to try and chase away the bitterness. 

She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the hall again. "Smells good. I didn't think you could cook."

Cisco flashed her a smile over his shoulder and brought two bowls to the kitchen table. "Mama taught everyone a little something about cooking. I picked up a thing or two."

Lisa smiled, charming and close-mouthed. "I should go. Thank you for letting me stay."

"Lisa— Please." He ran a hand through his hair. "At least have breakfast? I got all your stuff from that hotel, even your motorcycle. Your key is on the corner of the coffee table"

She shook her head. "You know, for a moment last night, I had the crazy idea that we could work out. I thought, if Lenny could find something good enough to die for, maybe I could prove that I could do the same. Do something good, I mean."

"You were drunk last night," Cisco said gently. "I couldn't let you go into the field like that."

"It wasn't your decision to make," Lisa snapped, and she averted her eyes for a moment, taking a breath. "I should've known better than to try to play a hero, anyway. Never seems to work out." 

She looked at Cisco, really looked at him — the messy fall of his hair, his sweet brown eyes, the table between them, breakfast for two. She wanted this promise so badly it ached inside her, and she skirted around the table, moved into Cisco's space and pressed him against the kitchen counter as she tangled her fingers in his hair. She bowed her head, gently pressing their foreheads together, and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Stay." Cisco's voice trembled, and his hands were shaking when he cupped her cheeks. "Lisa, I want you to stay."

"No, you don't." Lisa smiled and opened her eyes. "Girls like me burn out, Cisco."

He tilted his head and pulled her into a kiss, and it was — sour and too hard and desperate and so, so real that she almost couldn't pull away. When she did, she took a second to catch her breath before she wiped the edge of his bottom lip with her thumb. 

"Thanks for taking me home. It's been too long since I've been here."

Lisa let Cisco go, and she walked to the front room, shoving her feet into her boots and grabbing her stuff.

"You won't burn out," Cisco managed to say as she pulled the duffle bag over her shoulder. "Gold doesn't burn. It melts."

Somehow, like she always did around Cisco, she smiled. "That'd be nice, wouldn't it? I'd have the chance to become something else, after all this time." She grabbed her keys off the coffee table and headed for the door. "I'll see you again, Cisco."

"You can count on it," he said.

Lisa closed the door behind her. No one was going to make her choices for her, not anymore She was going to fly or fall on her own. Either way, it sounded exciting.

~*~


End file.
